<<For the last two weeks, Talia, Aerex, and Vorodon have been receiving a crash course on sailing from the Captain of the Vermillion Wind. Though lacking the delicate touch required for some tasks, Vorodon's great strength soon proves useful to the crew as well, as the giant is capable of doing the job of three men, without breaking a sweat. Talia and Aerex for their part, take quickly, almost naturally, to the ways of ship, wind, and sea--insert lots of sailing lingo here--and begin to look forward to the Great Race. The Regatta is to commence in two days. Talia's chats with the captain meanwhile, and Aerex' relationship with the Tagma monk, will be handled IC. Best time for OOC questions/issues is now. :up:>>

Dozus:
<How much of Aerex's conversation(s) with the monk has he shared with the others, if at all?>

Murometz:
<<OOC>> I would assume that Aerex has not yet made any of his recent experiences and thoughts known to Talia in detail. Likewise, though the resemblance between them is uncanny, Talia and the captain, have had little chance to speak in depth as well. For her part, the captain seems to be taking the finding of her seeming “twin” in stride. She seems to be thrilled with the bizarre discovery of a look-a-like, and even mentioned that she would not be at all surprised if the two were indeed sisters, though that is all she has said on the subject. The last two and a half weeks, Talia and Aerex have had their minds on the craft of sailing, and have had time for little else, though of course, their thoughts, Talia and her potential rendezvous with her father, and Aerex’ odd meeting of the Tagma monk, are always present.<<OOC>>

Wind and wave battered Aerex as he struggled to tie the knots, swallowing salt as he did so.

The Vermillion Wind streaked across the bay, cutting the waves with her sharp nose. Each time the sloop crested another high-rising wave it appeared to Aerex that the ship would overturn on the very precipice of water and air, and hurtle into a foamy abyss below, shattering into so many splinters. Yet each time the ship sliced the waves, gliding like a winged snake across open sea.

Pale-green from the constant, hellish, bobbing of the ship and his own dry heaving, the Inspector finally managed to tie the knots and began to precariously make his way toward the helm of the ship, where Talia was clutching the wheel, learning how to guide the ship at the captain’s behest, in preparation for the Great Regatta, which was to be held in two days time. This was the last of the ‘practice runs’ before a day of rest, and the captain pushed her motley crew to their limits knowing that a two-day storm was currently pummeling Jantir’s Bay of Screaming Eagles.

Aerex glanced at Talia. What a figure she struck at the tiller of the Vermillion Wind, he thought as he neared. Her hair was drenched, her clothes soaked, yet she looked to him, no less regal and beautiful.

“Let those sails breathe!” the captain shouted above the squall, then, “guide ‘er toward the deeper water!” she yelled to Talia, who managed with all her strength to turn the willful wheel starboard.

Moments later the Vermillion Wind was streaking toward deeper water, where the waves seemed less angry.

Approaching the pair, the captain was smiling a wide, wet grin. “ Not too bad. You will do in a pinch...if I am otherwise detained or unable to guide ‘er.” she added cryptically in Talia’s direction. “Glancing at Aerex, sh said, “I’ll take over now, why don’t you two go below. The worst is over now, and you managed to not to sink my ship. You deserve some salt pork and beans if you can stomach ‘em.” She smiled and took the wheel from Talia.

This left the pair with no responsibilities and below they went, to dry up, and rest from the constant exertion they had been under, until this very moment.

“We’re heading against the gust now, ready about!”

“Ready, captain!"

“Hard A’lee!” they heard the captain shout as they descended below.

Minutes later, Talia and Aerex sat exhausted in front of their bowls of food, as the ship creaked and sailed on. Vorodon emeged just then as well, he had been covering cracks in the inner hull with pitch, and was now streaked with black smudges. The half-ogre smiled as he approached the pair, sat beside them, and inquired if either of the two were going to finish their salt pork and beans.

Dozus:
Aerex felt his stomach swim at the first whiff of the pork and beans. He slid his plate to the Volgotoi. "Enjoy," he muttered; he'd barely been able to keep down ship's biscuit for the past week. "I don't think Matares were made from the water."

Despite his troubles adapting to a seaman's life, he enjoyed the relative mental respite. For the first few days, he mulled over recent events: the Tagma Drakontas, the Vermillion Wind, Talia and her eerily twinish captain. He had tried to find or make some connection between them, or at least plan for post-Regatta actions, but he finally abandoned any hope of straight thinking and focused on training for the race. The inspector was surprised to find himself enjoying his newfound yachting hobby.

Aerex stretched open his palms and laid them on the table before Talia. "See? I'm getting a nice callous going on from the ropes. They call that a 'sailor's pad,' I believe." He gave a daft and boyish grin to her.

Ria Hawk:
Talia was exhausted. "That wheel's harder to control than a pair of scared horses," she muttered as they retreated to the interior of the ship. She didn't much like it down here, but right now, she was too tired to care.

She was, however, ravenous. She shook her head apologetically at Voro as she started eating. She gave Aerex a sympathetic look. "There's some as were made for the land, and some as were made for the sea, and I suppose you're more the first. That's all right. The sea is nice, and I understand why people feel the need to be out on it, but I think I prefer having stable ground under me."

She looked at Aerex's callouses. "Me too," she said, showing her own hand. "And another from forcing that wheel into submission." She smiled at him. "Doesn't mean anything, just hard work."

But she'd be glad when the regatta was over. As she'd said, the sea was nice, but it wasn't for her, not right now.